Timeless
by Lluvia Di'Noche
Summary: He was constantly looking at her, adoring her, finding the things about her he loved the most. Yet, she was always so far away, changing, never the same person he fell in love with the time before. What remained was that she was absolutely timeless. {birthday gift for @basement-prussia on Tumblr}


The first thing that Gilbert had noticed about Erzsebet was the way she fought.

They were only seven and some kid had been picking on her for her haircut that she had been so proud to show off that morning. Minutes later she and the boy were both in the dirt, rolling, throwing punches, biting, and much more. Gilbert had been sitting with his Pokemon cards in the corner and watched in awe at this cool guy who seemed ready to take on anyone.

He had realized when her parents came and started talking to her that this was in fact not a guy.

"You fight really good."

"Thank you! I lost a tooth!"

Yes, Erzsebet pulled out her tooth from her pocket right there and showed it off proudly to Gilbert. The bully in the corner was sitting rubbing his arm that she lost the tooth on.

It was disgusting. There were gums on it and she herself still had toilet paper in her mouth to stop the bleeding.

In his seven-year-old eyes, that made her even cooler.

The second thing that Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet was how passionate she was. They were ten and at the fair. Someone from it mocked her accent. They had asked if she knew English and spoke to her in a very dumbed down voice.

And Erzsebet…

Oh, what else was to be expected but for her to recite the entire first chapter of that big book she and Gilbert had been reading together before ending it off with "Unless you know Hungarian fluently with no accent, shut up."

Both had laughed afterword. The thing being so silly and dumb. But it brought him back to see her show off her tooth with a wide grin.

"If anyone mocks you or me or Emma or Lorenzo or anyone else for our accents, I'll spit in their pockets!"

Gilbert only laughed harder at the thought. She had gone off ranting for nearly ten minutes on how she would never allow anyone to mock kids with accents and how she would make an entire club for kids who didn't speak English as their first language.

And oh, did she try too. The next week Gilbert had to hold her back from biting a teacher's leg because her club idea didn't go through. He didn't really mind though. Erzsebet was like that. She was fiery, ready, and bolder than Gilbert could ever imagine anyone ever being. He liked that and he wanted to be around her to see that forever.

The third thing that Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet was the way she danced.

They were thirteen and she had been doting on that one Roderich guy all year. She would talk about him to Gilbert when they went to the movies and when they studied together. He had to admit that he was rather jealous at the time. She devoted all her attention to him, thinking he was so fancy and cute.

Gilbert just thought he was a pillow princess.

Eventually though, Roderich invited her to the school dance and of course, she agreed. How could she not? All she had desired was him. Though he tried to be happy for her and brush himself off as not caring and having a bunch of girls begging to go with him, he still did.

He cared when she called him and had asked him what to wear.

He cared when she came over that night to show off her new dress. It was emerald. It was gorgeous and he knew it would make her look like a fae. She was so distant and Gilbert wanted to catch her.

He cared when he showed up with Antonio (who had also been doting after the pillow princess) that night to the dance and saw her, stunning, glowing, and so delicate. This wasn't his Erzsebet who lost her tooth in the first grade fighting a bully. This wasn't his Erzsebet who could beat him in an arm wrestling match. This wasn't his— _she wasn't his._

She had her arm linked with Roderich's and they both danced the Viennese Waltz (Gilbert gagged). She moved so swiftly and nicely. Gilbert was wrong. She was not a fae.

She was a gift from Heaven. It was wrong to look at her and he was convinced he would turn into a pig or a cow because he did.

Antonio sat with him by the fruit punch table and they took "shots" to celebrate the single life.

But Erzsebet joined them shortly after, an irritated look on her face.

"I thought you were with Roderich?" Antonio had asked.

'You can have him. My heart has moved on." She said so plainly, taking a cup of punch and plopping herself right next to Gilbert.

"You wanna explain what made you change your mind after the guy you've had a crush on for months asked you to the school dance?"

"Nah. That's boring. Just like the Viennese Waltz," She giggled and threw her punch cup away, reaching her hands out towards Gilbert, "Come on, let's dance! And actually dance. No waltz. If I ever have to dance that again, I might die."

Of course, he didn't say no. This was Erzsebet and frankly, he liked dancing with her even more if it meant she left Roderich behind.

"Fine. But if I kick your butt in dancing, you owe me a milkshake!"

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be? Fine. But if I win you owe me dinner!"

"Deal!"

 _'Joke's on you, Erzsebet. I win either way.'_

And of course, she won. It was Erzsebet. She danced wild and free and without a single bit of shame. It wasn't as if she had a thing to be ashamed about anyway. Gilbert tried, but he really only knew dance moves from MTV. She made the most sporadic of moves look stunning and the most awkward of poses look flowing. Gilbert couldn't even moonwalk. He was just Gilbert; a history nerd who had a crush on Erzsebet.

"You suck," she had laughed as she threw a fry at his face, "I bet my grandpa dances better."

Gilbert didn't doubt it.

"I may dance bad but I haven't taken years of ballroom. What's your excuse?"

She threw another fry at him, still laughing and seeming so far away in that emerald dress that made her far too pretty.

The fourth thing Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet was the way she lived without a care.

They were eighteen and once again, she had a crush on Roderich. She fawned and doted over him so sweetly. And while he still had a childish crush on her, he never allowed it to get in the way of her happiness. Part of him kinda wished he got in between it.

She was changing and he didn't like it. Her hair was grown out, the boyish style replaced by long hair that she took great pride in caring for. She had abandoned the gross hoodies of their sophomore days and had replaced them with flowy shirts and high-waisted pants. He wouldn't deny she looked lovely, but it made him feel as is she were slipping through his fingers and becoming someone who would one day grow too old Mario Kart on Friday nights and eating messy sundaes at the amusement park in the summer. One day she would get tired of french fry fights and arm-wrestling and he would lose his best friend from his childhood.

He was soon proven very wrong in his theories and fears. She had brought Roderich along to one of their Mario Kart nights. It was very disappointing and he was sure he'd make her act too sophisticated to eat junk food and play dumb video games all night.

Gilbert was very wrong. Very very wrong. In fact, Erzsebet was the most competitive she had ever been. She was also wearing that torn up Green Day hoodie Gilbert had bought her freshman year. Roderich surprisingly attempted to play.

 _Attempted._

The man sucked and could not drive if his life depended on it. Erzsebet and Gilbert got their good share of laughs at him as he fell off bridges, got hit, ran into a wall, went backward, and much much more.

Eventually, he gave up and settled for nibbling on the chips that sat there and watched Erzsebet scream and shove as she played against him and laughed just as she always had. That wild, loud, free-spirited laugh that Gilbert adored. She stuffed chips in her mouth, at one point getting bored and wanting to chug down an entire bottle of Coca Cola.

She was still herself. It occurred to him in that moment that he didn't care if she dressed effeminate or decided to be cleaner. That was her choice and it was what made her happy. But, as long as she still found him good enough to play Mario Kart with, he was alright.

Erzsebet passed out on his couch around one in the morning. Roderich was still nibbling at some potato chip and aimlessly pressing buttons on the control with no apparent desire to win. _Ugh_. He hated Roderich. He was such a dainty little princess who thought that he was better than everyone else. He didn't understand what Erzsebet saw in him or Antonio (yes, he sadly, still had a crush on him).

"You know, the point is to _not_ fall and die." Gilbert scoffed, shoving a handful of cheese puffs in his mouth.

"The game is just so—it's so _childish_. Why on Earth does Erzsebet play this with you?" he asked, scoffing as he fell off the rainbow bridge for the thirtieth time already.

"Look," Gilbert said through a mouth full of cheese puffs, "I know you're a huge fucking pillow princess who would cry if he broke his nail, but these games are classics and my reason for living."

Roderich rolled his eyes and folded his arms, "I know I'm a gay bottom, but is there really a need to call me a _pillow princess_?"

"Yes, of course, there-" Gilbert shut up and blinked before shooting his head to look at him, "Wait, you're actually gay?"

Roderich snorted, "Yes, did you not know that? I'm sure everyone knows. Especially ever since Antonio and I broke up."

"But you're dating Erzsebet. What about the dance when we were thirteen?"

Roderich raised his eyebrow and shook his head, "You're an idiot, Beilschmidt. I'm not dating her. She just thinks I'm good to go to on fashion advice."

"And the dance?"

Roderich shifted a bit and laughed gently, "I thought she was a boy for the first bit of time I knew her."

"Oh my fucking-"

"I realized at the dance," he admitted, "She hit me and ditched me. Then Antonio took a chance. How did you not know I was gay? Everyone knows."

"Well, I have two brain cells!" Gilbert shot back. He burst into laughter at the thought of Erzsebet hitting him, "You're an absolute idiot. No wonder she was so angry when she came over. Oh my gosh!"

"I've had my fair share of mocking from her already, thank you." Roderich said.

But Gilbert couldn't stop laughing. Roderich really was a pillow princess! How had he missed it all along? He was gay! No wonder he asked her to the dance when she was the complete opposite of what he was! The idiot was a huge twink!

Roderich rolled his eyes and scoffed, "No wonder you haven't realized she is in love with you. You have a total of half a brain cell and you're killing it with cheese puffs and Mario Kart"

He should have been paying attention to what Roderich said rather than pausing the game and just looking over at Eliza who was in such an odd sleeping position on the couch. But no. She was so important and the center of everything, that even when Roderich insulted him and confirmed the thing that could have made his life less difficult, he was only paying attention partially. It would not be until later on his life that Roderich's words would finally hit him.

"She's lucky to have you as a friend. I may try to _civilize_ you both, but as far as I'm concerned, you're both barbarians with no hope at this point. _Pah!_ Playing Mario Kart at eighteen. You're children."

"And you're an old man who would probably break his back picking up a pencil or sweeping," Gilbert said, "I hate knowing I might end up just as much of a huge killjoy as you one day. But Erzsebet? I don't think she'll ever grow. She's timeless."

That was the last thing they said to each other that night. Roderich fell asleep on the floor and he looked exactly like what Gilbert expected a huge twink like him to look like when he slept; dainty and organized.

He simply sat there, sipping at water, cleaning up, and eating the last of the cheese puffs. But every now and then he would glance at Erzsebet and he'd smile because he knew that she was free. Whether it was now or eighty years from now, Erzsebet was timeless, free, and beautiful.

Feminine or not.

The fifth thing Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet, was that she was selfless.

They were twenty-two and Gilbert was still madly in love with her, but he had a short sort of fling with a student in his philosophy class. His name was Lorenzo and he came from Sicily. He was in school to become a writer and a physical therapist. That was because of his little brother, Feliciano.

Gilbert learned that Feliciano had a seizure that left him with brain damage. Lorenzo had taken him to visit him once. He hadn't expected a small child who couldn't have even been twelve. But there he was, looking up at Lorenzo who gazed at his brother with the utmost love in the world as he talked about life and school and all the things they would do when he was better.

He wanted to become a physical therapist for him and for others so that they could have hope and joy once again in contrast to the constant hospitals and fear that they must have felt. Gilbert couldn't ever understand or comprehend such a thing or the emotions in it, but he greatly admired Lorenzo for it.

Their fling ended as soon as he introduced him to Antonio who was immediately smitten. He won him over with some difficulty, but he had never seen such a happy pair. Gilbert didn't mind. He and Lorenzo still remained great friends and even acted like a couple around each other for laughs and because they were simply that comfortable around each other.

Erzsebet must have thought that they were actually a couple because she began to grow distant. The nights of Mario Kart where she sat in his lap and talked about what went on in her life began to change to silent game nights and forced laughs.

Her flirty attitude that Gilbert played along with began to disappear. She never left his side though. No. Erzsebet still laughed with him and arm-wrestled, and went to the amusement park with him even when Lorenzo was there. But she did begin to lose the defining traits of their friendship and it felt like Gilbert was missing something even though she was there.

She still danced and sang and did as she wished. Her hair still bounced and even though she dressed in stylish feminine clothes, she was still the fighter he had met so long ago. He couldn't understand what on Earth was driving such a small wedge between them.

He figured it out when she came to him one day looking solemn.

"I was out buying a gift for Roderich's birthday and I saw Lorenzo and Antonio together."

"Yeah?"

"And well, they looked like they were having a rather intimate conversation. They were leaning towards each other. I didn't think much of it at first. At least, until Antonio kissed him and Lorenzo happily kissing back."

Gilbert furrowed his brows, "And?"

Erzsebet shot up, 'What do you mean _And?_ He's your boyfriend! Shouldn't you be concerned about him cheating on you? What the hell, Gil!"

He blinked.

Then his lips twitched.

And then he was on the floor, howling and choking on his own tears as Erzsebet stood over him unamused in the slightest.

He pointed at her, still choking on his laughter, " _Oh my god, Beta!"_

"What's so funny about you having an unfaithful boyfriend, Gilbert? Or are you in a polyamorous relationship with Antonio that I'm not aware of?"

"Beta," Gilbert snorted, "I'm not dating Lorenzo. Our little fling ended almost a year ago."

"...what?" she sputtered.

Gilbert wiped the tears from his eyes and sighed, "We're just friends. We play flirt and crap. Y'know, like us? We were never dating. I thought that you knew."

Her face went red and she covered it, screaming in frustration, "How was I supposed to know when you act so flirty with him? Haven't you noticed I've backed off because I thought you were actually dating?"

"But we do the exact same? Play flirting? We act like an old married couple. Why would you stop just because I'm dating someone?"

Erzsebet's face went cold and she looked away. She looked back up at him and shrugged in defeat, "Because I wasn't playing, Gil. I thought we actually had a bit of a thing. I didn't want to get in the way of you and Lorenzo so I stopped flirting and acting like a couple with you. You're my best friend and I wanted to support you and your relationship instead of acting like a child and cutting you off. You did nothing but find happiness, at least I thought, so I sucked it up and put you first."

How was it that she made him feel like a child when they spoke? He still felt like he was seven and staring down at her knocked out tooth and her boyish haircut as the office spoke to her parents. The simplest things and she still surprised him like that day and made his heart beat fast.

She had such a caring heart, such a wonderful soul. He nearly lost it when she got asked to the dance by Roderich and when he thought that they were dating. He didn't think he would ever be the one causing her to feel the way he had back then.

"Beta, how long have you been keeping that a secret?" he asked. Was it only as of recent? It had to be. After all, they knew everything about each other, didn't they?

"Since we were thirteen," she said, "Did I make things awkward?"

"..yeah, kinda."

Erzsebet covered her face, "If it's too awkward to be friends then I get it."

"Well, yeah, it would be," Gilbert laughed, "I mean, two friends who have had a crush on each other since the seventh grade _just_ being friends?"

Neither of them had laughed so much. Nearly ten years. It took them nearly ten years to realize they were in love with each other. They laughed about it for so long. Gilbert couldn't believe that he had spent nearly ten years believing there was no hope when she had felt the same all along.

Yet, he couldn't focus on that or the fact that this was his chance to ask her out on a proper date. No. Gilbert could only think of that heart so big it fit a million other people in it. That heart so pure that his own looked so shriveled and dead next to it. She thought of him before her own feelings and through it was such a simple and basic thing he should have expected from any of his friends, knowing she had seen all his flings to get over her in the past nine years really just put it into perspective.

She had only ever really cared for Roderich and at one point, the exchange student from Ukraine, Yekaterina. But he? He had flirted with every possible person he could have in hopes he'd move on and the thought of how many days he had crushed her heart with his own little attempts to move on stabbed him slowly.

"Is this the part where I finally ask you if you'd like to get dinner?"

The sixth thing Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet, was the way that she cried.

It was Christmas. They were twenty-four.

Gilbert had been planning to surprise her with a proposal, but he had to pick up the gorgeous alexandrite ring from Antonio's and then he had to pick up the pastries that he knew she loved from Francis' house.

He hadn't even made it to Antonio's house. Someone skid and slammed into his car. Gilbert didn't feel it. He blinked and suddenly he was out. By the time he woke up, it was the next morning and Erzsebet was sitting on a chair with her head on his bed, holding his hand, sleeping but looking more tired than she had ever been. Her hair was frizzy, each wave looking like hell had burned it. Gilbert still thought she was the perfect thing on the planet.

Her phone rang and she jolted awake. Stretching, she picked it up and answered it, wiping away the tears that were beginning to trickle down her already red face, "Yeah, I'm still at the hospital. Uh, he hasn't woken up yet, but the doctor said it would be soon. Yeah, a black coffee is fine. Thank you, Antonio. I'll see you soon."

He watched her from where he lay and saw those tears start to rush and spill, her sniffles becoming louder as she kicked the ground angrily and tried to wipe away the tears and the snot that just wouldn't stop coming.

"You always had to make Christmas about you, idiot." she laughed, blowing her nose and collapsing back into her chair.

She looked so pathetic there, trying to stop the tears and trying to stop sniffling and hiccupping.

"Why am I even crying? You'll be fine. They said you would be. I'm just too weak, haha," she said, "I'm just weak little Erzsebet who loves you and is crying even though you're fine and will just need crutches for a bit. If you saw me like this. You're a huge dick, you'd probably tease me about crying."

Erzsebet lay her head down on the bed and squeezed his hand gently, muttering something violently under her breath.

"I would never tease you for crying," he said in a raspy, low voice, "though I will tease you for having boogers all over your face and not realizing your boyfriend is awake and waiting for a kiss."

She jerked her head up, hitting it on his propped up leg. Gilbert cursed, she laughed, but the both of them ended up gazing at each other in the end.

"You dick, I get a call that you've been in a car accident on Christmas, am I supposed to just go 'aw sad, guess I'll give his Wii away'?"

"No," Gilbert said, "You're supposed to go 'this is so sad, Alexa, play Despacito."

Erzsebet rolled her eyes, "You and your outdated memes."

He gave her a cheeky smile—or at least attempted to. His face felt so swollen and sore that it lasted half a second, "But really, don't cry. I'm not dead. I just got beat up a bit."

"No. If I want to cry, I'm going to cry you slimy albino grapefruit. And right now I'm gonna cry because you're okay." Erzsebet said.

Gilbert watched her cry. She sniffled and choked and hiccuped and kissed his hand lovingly a million times. All he could do was watch. It really made him see just how wonderful she was. The way she cried shamelessly and pinched him if he tried to laugh at her. The fact that she looked so absolutely miserable and torn apart, but muttered a million thank yous because Gilbert was okay.

Her love. Her heart. Everything about her. Gilbert did not deserve such a perfect and loving person.

"Marry me."

The seventh thing Gilbert noticed about Erzsebet was that she was Erzsebet.

Her hair was cut in that boyish style from so many years ago. Her eyes decorated with the same sparkling emerald shine from when they were thirteen. Her lips reflected that heart of hers. Her smile sparkled like all the riches he could only dream of giving her.

They were twenty-six. The entire thing taking a bit more time than expected. Nevertheless, when Gilbert stood there, she was Erzsebet. She was as she had always been even through the changes. She was the fighter that could beat him in a wrestling match and the fairy queen that danced so light and perfect.

She stood there and the whole world could see she was Erzsebet as she was in the pearl half-dress-half-tuxedo. She was fiery, burning, the moon that people gazed up towards and praised. Her movements could bring peace or destruction and whichever it was, he gazed at her with the same loving expression.

Soon Gilbert was covering his face to prevent himself from crying at the thought of her. She wasn't his. No, she would never be. Erzsebet was a wild spirit and belonged to nobody. But he was marrying her and the thought of spending his life playing Mario Kart with her as his wife and dancing with her as a married couple and _finally_ making their old married couple fights actual married couple fights—he could have died right there and St Peter would have been waiting for him on the other side in a place that could not compare to a life with Erzsebet.

She wiped his tears as soon as she was standing in front of him, but Gilbert kept crying because this was Erzsebet and she was herself and after thirteen years, he was finally marrying her. Erzsebet and her absolutely awful singing, her hard punches, her amazing dance moves, her cheat codes for video games, her boyish hair that would grow long when she wanted it, and that personality that lit up the entire room and turned his skies golden.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him as they danced together later that evening.

How was he to respond? He was thinking of her. _Her._ Her wonderful jokes, her laugh that sounded like a hyperventilating pig, the way she scrunched her nose in disgust when he burped, the way she tried to out burp him, the fact that she looked stunning in tuxedos and in dresses, her heart, her creativity, the way she put up with him since they were seven, the fact that she had loved him for so long. Oh, he could have gone on and on about the little things he adored about her and the way she made him so happy. Gilbert could have gone on for years about how he loved her and that was exactly what he would do.

He would be old and grey and he would be telling Erzsebet about the way her eyes twinkled and the way she made him laugh like nobody else could make him laugh. And she would sit there, listening to him with a soft smile on her face. There would be no wrinkles in sight nor a grey hair on her head. They could never touch her.

Gilbert kissed her.

"The fact that you are absolutely timeless."


End file.
